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Dave Matthews Band Welcomes Guests, Covers Tom Petty in Hartford

Dave Matthews Band hosted their annual shows at Hartford, CT’s Comcast Theatre this past weekend. Friday’s performance was the group’s 34th at the venue and Matthews celebrated by teasing the rarely played “#34” at the start of the show. Later in the night, the group debuted a cover of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ “Runnin’ Down a Dream.” DMB bassist Stefan Lessard first played the song with his 1,2,3 GO! and Yukon Kornelius side-projects earlier this year. He also recently attended Petty’s intimate performance at New York’s Beacon Theatre. Near the end of the show, frequent DMB guest Stanley Jordan also sat in on guitar for extended versions of both “The Dreaming Tree” and “Rhyme & Reason.”

The surprises continued on Saturday. Jordan returned early in the night for the band’s first version of “Spoon” since December 11, 2010. Then, jazz guitarist Mark Whitfield, who sat in with the group in Brooklyn this past December, took the stage for “Mercy.”

Dave Matthews Band will perform at Mansfield, MA’s Comcast Center on June 15.